Self-leveling and swiveling chair

ABSTRACT

An adjustably counterweighted chair seat supported on a vertically adjustable stand, the chair seat and stand being interconnected by a ball and socket joint for providing movement therebetween in three normal axes of motion. The counterweight, adjustably mounted below the joint times the distance to the joint, exceeds the weight of the chair seat and occupant, above the joint, times the distance therebetween, to keep the chair seat level while the stand follows the roll and pitch of the ship on which it is supported. While remaining level the chair seat is also turnable about its vertical axis.

United States Patent 1191 1111 3,863,587 Bosnich 1 Feb. 4, 1975 [5 1SELF-LEVELING AND SWIVELING CIIAIR- 1,467 3/1883 England 114/191 1,5957/1860 England I r 114/194 [76] Inventor: Angelo J. Bosnlch, 514 DumameSt., 387 894 5 1965 S I; d 797 346 New Orleans, La 70116 wltzer 1n .1

[22] Filed: Feb. 25, 1972 Primary Examiner-Albert ,l. Makay AssistantExaminerGary Auton [21] Appl' 233386 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-James B.Lake, Jr.

[52] US. Cl. 114/191 51 1111. 1:1 B63b 29/12 [57] ABSTRACT [58] Field ofSearch 114/191, 195, 194, 192; An adjustably counterweighted chair seatsupported 244/122, 93; 297/346, 345, 240, 241; on a verticallyadjustable stand, the chair seat and 248/1884, 188.7; 177/252, 262, 250,246 stand being interconnected by a ball and socket joint for providingmovement therebetween in three normal [561 References Cited axes ofmotion. The counterweight, adjustably UNITED STATES PATENTS mountedbelow the joint times the distance to the 609 880 9/1898 Flemin 177/250joint, exceeds the weight of the chair seat and occu- 1 0l5230 H1912Jacob 4/194 pant, above the joint, times the distance therebetween,1:260:18] 3/1918 Garne rohu. LIIILWQLII 114/191 to keep the Chair Seatlevel While the Stand follows the 2,033,212 3/1936 Walker 177/250 rolland pitch of the p on which it is pp 2,150,397 3/1939 Owen 248/1887While remaining level the chair seat is also turnable FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS France 114/194 about-its vertical axis.

1 Claim, 2 Drawing Figures 5e H J 52 E ,1 s; 48 l 50 1 SELF-LEVELING ANDSWlVElLlNG CHAIR The invention relates generally to chairs, and moreparticularly to chairs with self-levelling chair seats that are turnableabout a vertical axis.

A captain of a ship is often required to remain on his bridge during badweather for extended periods of time. Physical strain is not reduced ifit is necessary to fight to remain seated in an ordinary chair.

It is old in the art to support chairs, lamps and tables in gimbals. insuch cases the weight of the object itself acts as self levelling.Chairs and tables have been counterweighted to be self levelling butfixed with respect to turning and adjustment about a vertical axis.

lt is an object of the invention to provide a chair seat that can beadjusted for any height and weight of the occupant and chair seat andwith full turning about a vertical axis for permitting the occupant tolook in any direction while remaining level with the horizon.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had byreferring to the following specifications and drawings, in which:

HO. 1 is a perspective view of the invention, partially in phantom andfrom above, and

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along section lines 22 of FIG. 1.

Referring to FlGs. 1 and 2, the invention comprises a chair seat fixedto a unitary counterweight I] having a male connecting member 12, bothof which are supported for movement in three axes of motion by a stand14 having a female connecting member 15.

The chair seat 10 comprises a seat 16 and a back 18 fixed thereto. Noarms are provided as none are required for an occupant to remaincomfortably seated as will be more fully explained hereinafter.

The unitary counterweight and male connecting member comprises a plate20 fixed to the bottom of the seat 16. A shaft 22 is fixed to plate 20,normal thereto, by an end 24 to extend downward therefrom. A weight base26 is fixed to an end 28 oppositely disposed from end 24 of shaft 22. Aball 12 of a ball and socket joint 62 is rigidly mounted on shaft 22 asa diameter intermediate the ends 24 and 28. The shaft 22 is reduced indiameter in an area 29 between the ball and end 28 and provides meansfor adding and subtracting weights 34 to the weight base 26. Weights 34(one only is illustrated) and the weight base 26 have raised flanges 36adjacent edges of their respective upper surfaces 38. The lower surfaces40 of the weights 34 respectively define grooves 42 adapted to receiveflanges 36 immediately below. Weights 34 also define, respectively, aradial spiral channel 44 adapted to be received by shaft 22 along thearea 29 of reduced diameter.

The stand and female connecting member comprises four radial feet, twolonger feet 46 and two shorter feet 48, connected at adjacent ends by atapped sleeve 50, normal to the adjacent ends of said feet. A threadedshaft 52 is threadably engaged in the sleeve 50. A dogleg upper sleeve54 has legs 56 and 58, normal to each other and braced with a bracket 60mounted therebetween. Leg 56 is tapped reversely to tapped sleeve 50 andis adapted to threadably engage shaft 52. A socket of the ball andsocket joint 62 is fixed to a free end of leg 58 and adapted to engageball 12 of said ball and socket joint for movement in three axes ofmotion. Ball bearings 64 are mounted between said ball and socket toreduce friction therebetween.

The chair can be moved as desired and supported on its feet 46 and 48.The height of the chair can be adjusted by turning the threaded shaft 52to simultaneously screw in or out of sleeve 50 and leg 56 of doglegsleeve 54 to increase or decrease the vertical height of the stand 14.

The chair can be counterbalanced for the weight of an occupant by addingweights 34 to the weight base 26. The weights are added by respectivelyengaging their radial spiral channels 44 with shaft 22 along area 45 andresting on weight base 26 with complementary flanges and groovesinterfitting to prevent inadvertent separation of the weights from theweight base and each other. Sufficient weights are added to more thancounterbalance the weight of the occupant of the chair. More accurately,the weight of the occupant times the distance from the occupants centerof gravity to the center of motion of the ball and socket joint must beless than the counterbalancing weights times the distance from theircenter of gravity to said center of motion. The occupant of the chairremains vertical with the horizon regardless of the roll and pitch ofthe ship and can swing the chair to face in any compass direc tion.

What is claimed is:

l. A self-leveling and swiveling chair having a seat for a sitter andcomprising:

a. a shaft having oppositely disposed ends and fixed by one of said endsto said seat with the other free end depending;

b. a stand having radially extending feet for engaging a deck of a ship;a tapped sleeve joining adjacent ends of said feet and forming therewitha base; a straight threaded shaft having oppositely disposed ends one ofwhich ends is adapted to be threadably engaged in said tapped sleeve forvarying the length of said threaded shaft engaged in said tapped sleeve;21 dog leg sleeve having two hollow legs, one of said legs beingreversely tapped with respect to said tapped sleeve and adapted tothreadably engage said threaded shaft for varying the length of saidthreaded shaft cooperatively with said tapped sleeve when said threadedshaft is rotated;

c. universal joint means having a ball and socket joint, said ball beingmounted on said shaft between said seat and a counterbalancing weightand above the center of gravity of the swiveling chair, and said socketbeing mounted on said stand and adapted to engage said ball for relativemovement therebetween about three axis of motion;

d. a flat weight base fixed to the free end of said shaft for at leastcounterbalancing the weight of said seat when empty;

e. and a plurality of flat weights for adding to said weight base forcounterbalancing the weight of a sitter, each said weight having acurved radial slot defined therethrough that is adapted to engage aroundsaid shaft, said curved slot extending from a closed end at saidweight's center and extending to an open end on its periphery with saidopen end being angularly offset from said closed end, each said weightbeing separately engageable radially on said shaft through the openperipheral end of said curved slot and being turned about about its axisnormal to said slot to bring said shaft to the closed center end of saidcurved slot, whereby said weights are added from the side to the shaftin vertical formation and prevented from slidably disengaging therefrominadvertently by the angular offset of the open and close-ends of saidcurved slots.

1. A self-leveling and swiveling chair having a seat for a sitter andcomprising: a. a shaft having oppositely disposed ends and fixed by oneof said ends to said seat with the other free end depending; b. a standhaving radially extending feet for engaging a deck of a ship; a tappedsleeve joining adjacent ends of said feet and forming therewith a base;a straight threaded shaft having oppositely disposed ends one of whichends is adapted to be threadably engaged in said tapped sleeve forvarying the length of said threaded shaft engaged in said tapped sleeve;a dog leg sleeve having two hollow legs, one of said legs beingreversely tapped with respect to said tapped sleeve and adapted tothreadably engage said threaded shaft for varying the length of saidthreaded shaft cooperatively with said tapped sleeve when said threadedshaft is rotated; c. universal joint means having a ball and socketjoint, said ball being mounted on said shaft between said seat and acounterbalancing weight and above the center of gravity of the swivelingchair, and said socket being mounted on said stand and adapted to engagesaid ball for relative movement therebetween about three axis of motion;d. a flat weight base fixed to the free end of said shaft for at leastcounterbalancing the weight of said seat when empty; e. and a pluralityof flat weights for adding to said weight base for counterbalancing theweight of a sitter, each said weight having a curved radial slot definedtherethrough that is adapted to engage around said shaft, said curvedslot extending from a closed end at said weight''s center and extendingto an open end on its periphery with said open end being angularlyoffset from said closed end, each said weight being separatelyengageable radially on said shaft through the open peripheral end ofsaid curved slot and being turned about about its axis normal to saidslot to bring said shaft to the closed center end of said curved slot,whereby said weights are added from the side to the shaft in verticalformation and prevented from slidably disengaging thErefrominadvertently by the angular offset of the open and close-ends of saidcurved slots.